1. Field of the Invention
This invention allows the safe and effective restraint of various shaped and sized items placed on a vehicle's bucket style passenger seat, while allowing the driver full and easy access to said items if necessary. The invention ultimately helps drivers practice safe driving habits by preventing items from flying or falling inside the vehicle which distracts drivers and causes drivers to reach for fallen items, often resulting in harm or injury to the driver, the vehicle, and other drivers and their vehicles on the road.
2. Background of the Invention and Related Art
With the continuing increase in population and urbanization of society, people are spending more time in their automobile than ever before. Particularly for those working in an office setting in or near cities, the daily commute to and from work is often lengthy. People have sought to make more efficient use of their travel time, regularly seeking to accomplish work, make phone calls, review documents or other reading materials, put makeup on, eat and even work on a laptop computer. Frequently, items related to these and other activities are placed on the passenger seat, within the driver's reach. Unfortunately, sudden stops, quick turns and other unexpected automobile movements often send anything resting on the passenger seat flying through the air, landing in places that are difficult for the driver to reach. The driver's attention is frequently diverted from safely operating the automobile by both the automatic response of trying to retrieve a falling item and thereafter attempting to recover the item from the floor. These circumstances present a significant safety hazard. In many cases, the items land in places completely out of the driver's reach, preventing the driver from utilizing the items until the destination is reached.
The Seat Net is a flexible, new product that easily slips over any bucket style passenger seat of a car, truck, van, SUV, or other vehicle, securing multiple sized and shaped items placed on the passenger seat from falling onto the floor, slipping between the seat and console or falling between the seat and passenger door when the automobile is in motion.
The Seat Net not only maintains items on the passenger seat, but it allows the driver to organize items on the passenger seat, if desired, and affords the driver fast and efficient access to a desired item by allowing the driver's hand to pass between the netting—passenger seat back interface at any point. In addition, the Seat Net can be quickly removed to accommodate an incoming passenger to the seat, then just as quickly reinstalled by the driver while sitting in the driver's seat.
Seat Net is designed to fit snugly over any standard size passenger bucket style seat, securing multiple sized items from falling or slipping off the seat. Examples of items include books, files, file folders, laptop computer, brief case, cell phone, ladies purse, small travel bags, take-out food, groceries, laundry, boxes and bottles. The Seat Net strap system allows for more or less restriction of items and creates a safe way to remove the risk of items falling forward onto the vehicle floor or sliding sideways and landing between the seat and the passenger door or the seat and the vehicle console.
Seat Net also helps drivers utilize safe driving practices. Driver distraction caused by falling or moving items inside the vehicle often becomes a driving hazard for both the operator of the vehicle and other vehicles on the road. The Seat Net helps drivers maintain continuous eye contact with the road while the vehicle is in motion, by preventing items from falling or shifting while the vehicle is in motion, diverting the driver's attention from the road.
Drivers who lean over to the passenger side of a vehicle in an attempt to retrieve fallen items, while the vehicle is either moving or stopped, has been proven to be a leading cause of serious accidents. The Seat Net eliminates this threat of harm by not only securing items safely to the passenger seat, but by also allowing drivers easy access to the items.
Other devices intended to assist drivers do not allow for an organized placement of items on the passenger seat, limit a driver's ability to access items while driving, and do not allow the driver to obtain a desired item in a quick, efficient manner. An example of such a device can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,119.
Other devices provide pockets for items, thereby limiting the size and quantity of items that can be stored within easy reach of the driver. An example of such a device can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,763,986.
Still other devices are designed to provide storage for small items in an unorganized fashion. An example of such a device can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,727.